Apple glasses are reportedly in the works after all, but they might not let you take pictures like Meta and other competitors
Apple is reportedly developing a pair of glasses equipped with onboard cameras, but they may end up not supporting taking pictures for privacy reasons.
Mark Gurman reported in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg that Apple hsa been working on true augmented reality spectacles that would overlay information and images onto the user’s view of the real world.
While the technology for a compelling pair of AR glasses is developing and perfecting, however, Apple is reportedly working on non-AR glasses equipped with cameras and microphones. However, the company’ leadership is apparently unsure whether such a product should permit wearers to take pictures.
“The iPhone maker also has been developing its own glasses with cameras and microphones for tapping into Siri and visual intelligence,” reads the article. “But, given Apple’s privacy stance and penchant for pushing people toward using iPhones for taking pictures and video, the company is actively debating whether it will allow the glasses to capture media like competing models.”
Before smart Apple glasses arrive, however, the Cupertino firm is expected to add AI-enabled cameras to the Apple Watch and AirPods “over the next couple of years.”
Apple is working on AR and non-AR glasses that may not let you take pictures for privacy reasons
Wait a minute, didn’t German write in January that Apple had cancelled a pair of tethered AR glasses? Well, yeah, but he’s now insisting that Apple has renewed work on smart glasses, saying Tim Cook’s vision calls for true AR glasses, lightweight enough to be comfortably worn all day. Apple’s chief executive is reportedly “hell-bent” on beating Meta to such a product and “cares about nothing else.”
Cook has made this idea a top priority for the company and is hell-bent on creating an industry-leading product before Meta can. “Tim cares about nothing else,” says someone with knowledge of the matter. “It’s the only thing he’s really spending his time on from a product development standpoint.”
AR glasses could suffer from the same problem as AR headsets: lack of compelling killer apps. On the other hand, smart glasses like Meta’s surprisingly popular Ray-Ban AI are mostly used to display notifications from a paired device, various data about the real world and AI—those are your killer apps. But let’s not fool ourselves, the technology for true AR glasses will take many years to become feasible.
A variety of technologies need to be perfected, including extraordinarily high-resolution displays, a high-performance chip and a tiny battery that could offer hours of power each day. Apple also needs to figure out applications that make such a device as compelling as the iPhone. And all this has to be available in large quantities at a price that won’t turn off consumers.
Apple’s integration gives it an edge, namely its expertise in software, hardware, silicon, manufacturing, distribution and app stores. The company better hurry up, however; its rivals like Meta and Snap have been iterating on their own smart glasses for years now, and competitive pressure is about to increase significantly thanks to the new Google XR operating system for AI-powered headsets and glasses.
Ultimately, AR glasses have the same problem as AR headsets—lack of compelling killer apps—though they have different use cases. On the other hand, you could argue that today’s smart glasses already have killer apps: displaying notifications from a paired device, showing data about the real world and AI. Meta’s Ray-Ban AI, which are like that, have somehow proved themselves surprisingly popular.
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